Abstract
Background: The GIT houses a diverse colonies of mutualistic or beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia phyla. Probiotics are commonly used to support such organisms and promote gut health but the evidence regarding their effectiveness in healthy locals as lacking. Gut microbiota can depend on the dietary patterns and lifestyles which makes it important to assess its effect in regional context. The aim of this study was to investigate whether probiotic supplementation can improve gut microbiota and digestive health among healthy adults. Methods: A randomized control trial with a sample of 46 healthy adults recruited from outpatient department of General Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. Purposive sampling technique was used. After screening for eligibity criteria and obtaining an informed consent, the participants were assigned to either probiotic group (Group A) or placebo group (Group B) using lottery ticket method of randomization. Gut microbiota composition was assessed by Dysbiosis Index (DI), stool samples were collected using sterile collection kits which contained DHA stabilizing preservative at baseline and at the 12th week of intervention. Digestive health was assessed by Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). Analysis was performed by SPSS version 26. The data was normally distributed, the in-group comparisons were analyzed by Paired Sample T-test and the between group comparisons were done by Independent Sample T-test. Results: The Independent sample T-test analysis showed that that there was a statistically significant difference between the baseline and 12th week Dysbiosis Index between group A and group B (p < 0.001) and similarly the baseline and 12th week GSRS score between group A and group B was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The probiotics supplementation has a significant effect of gut microbiota composition and digestive health. The gut microbiota balance was found to be improved after the 12-week probiotic supplementation in group A and it also contributed to a better digestive health.